A fire fighter at the fire near Canungra, Queensland, 5 September 2019.
Photograph: Cam Neville/The Guardian

Emergency warnings have been issued for communities in Queensland and northern New South Wales amid hot and windy conditions, while a severe fire danger warning is in place for the greater Sydney region.

The Rural Fire Service has issued the warnings for fires at Tenterfield and nearby Drake in northern NSW, Bees Nest near Armidale and Lidsdale near Lithgow west of the Blue Mountains.

The blaze in Tenterfield on Mount Mackenzie Road is burning in a southeasterly direction along Scrub Road and has impacted Laird Street, Francis Street, King Lane, Scott Lane and Trail Lane.

“It is too late to leave,” the RFS said in its warning.

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“Residents should seek shelter as the fire approaches. Protect yourself from the heat of the fire.”

Residents of the Gold Coast hinterland community of Sarabah have been told to leave by firefighters, as a fast-moving fire front moves towards the town.

Queensland is in the grip of dire fire conditions, which authorities have warned could reach the highest catastrophic rating in some inland areas and the state’s south.

Extreme fire danger warnings have been issued for southern, south-east and central Queensland. A fire destroyed a house in the state’s far north on Thursday.

The BoM also issued an extreme fire danger warning for the north coast, New England and northern slopes regions on Friday.

A severe fire danger warning is in place for the greater Sydney region, the Hunter, the far north coast, the central ranges and the northwest of the state.

Sydneysiders are banned from lighting fires in the open, including incinerators and BBQs that burn wood, charcoal or heat beads. Welding, grinding, soldering or gas cutting is also banned in the open.

“Any fires, particularly with a strong wind behind them, will run really quickly and people can get caught out.

More than 50 fires are burning in Queensland. The worst is the Scenic Rim fire between Sarabah and Canungra, inland from the Gold Coast where people have been told to leave.

“If you are not in the area, do not return, as conditions are too dangerous,” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services says.

QFES acting commissioner Mike Wassing said it was close to homes and has become difficult to fight.

“The fire is starting to spike and give us a bit of trouble,” Wassing told the ABC.

Three grassfires have kept crews busy near Mareeba, west of Cairns, with one home lost at Biboohra on Thursday.

“The house was very close to where the fire started,” a fire service spokesman said. “It moved very quickly and before crews got there the house was lost. The family is safe.”

Two other grassfires in the Mareeba area continue to burn, one at Irvinebank, the other at Dimbulah.

Queensand’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, says emergency services are well prepared, with aircraft on standby. But she pleaded with residents to listen to the advice of local fire crews, and to prepare for the worsening conditions.

Cooler conditions are forecast in coming days but the fire danger will remain high until the middle of next week.